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Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most damaging tomato diseases in the world. The best strategy for controlling this disease is to use genetically resistant tomato plants. In this study, 28 tomato cultivars were evaluated in the field for their resistance to bacterial wilt in Daloa, one of the most important agricultural regions of Côte d'Ivoire. The experiments were carried out during the dry and rainy season and the experimental design was a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The results showed the presence of wilt disease. The streaming test and bacterial culture on growth medium proved the bacterial origin of the wilt symptoms observed. The results of the staining reactions revealed short, straight, rod and Gram negative bacteria similar to R. solanacearum. The severity of the disease was found to be higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. Of 28 cultivars evaluated, 7 cultivars were resistant and did not show any diseased plants during the two study periods. These cultivars constitute interesting sources of resistance for a breeding program aimed at the development of new resistant cultivars adapted to the region of Daloa. Keywords: Bacterial wilt, Ralstonia solanacearum, resistance, tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, breeding program.

Aims: To evaluate the agronomic and nutritional performances of three varieties of sweet potato (Kandee, Caromex and Gandiol1) cultivated for the first time in the agro-ecological zone of the groundnut basin in Senegal. Study Design: The experiment was arranged in Randomized Completely Block Design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted during two growing seasons from April to August 2017 and from October 2018 to February 2019 in Sagna village (Kaffrine, Senegal). Methodology: The planting of the cuttings was done with a density of 0.3 x 1 m or 3333.3 cuttings ha-1. Drip irrigation was used and mineral fertilization with 15-15-15 was applied. In each elementary plot, 5 plants were checked monthly for growth and phytosanitary monitoring. The harvest took place at 145 days after planting. The yields and agro-morphological characteristics of the roots were determined as well as their nutritional value and the incidence of bio-aggressor attacks. Results: The success percentage of cuttings was 90.1, 90.5 and 88% for Kandee, Caromex and Gandiol1, respectively. The length development of sweet potato stems was variable between the 3 varieties. The Gandiol1 variety with stems longer than 1.6 m was very spread out contrary to Caromex whose average stem length did not exceed 0.5 m. The marketable tuber yields obtained were comparable between the varieties and were 21.5, 22.5 and 13.4 t ha-1 respectively for Kandee, Caromex and Gandiol1. The morphology of the tubers was different in shape (diameter and length) but also in flesh color. Kandee had orange flesh, rich in carotenoids (101.1 mg/kg; P

Cotton is the highest source of natural fiber in textile industry worldwide. With the modern spinning technologies, the demand for cotton fiber with higher quality has increased, making the genetic improvement of fiber quality one of the main challenges for cotton breeders. In cotton breeding, wild species are important source of several desirable genes for genetic improvement of the main cultivated cotton Gossypium hirsutum L (Upland cotton). Besides length and strength, fineness is one of the most important criteria associated with cotton fiber quality. In this study, ten wild diploid species of cotton were investigated for their fiber fineness and potential to improve fiber fineness of G. hirsutum L. The method was measuring of ribbon width after caustic swelling. The results showed the potential of four wild species (G. longicalyx Hutch. & Lee, G. anomalum Wawra & Peyr., G. thurberi Todaro and G. stocksii Mast.) to significantly improve the fiber fineness of upland cotton in a hybrid configuration. Among them, G. longicalyx stood out for its exceptional fiber fineness, and its remarkable impact on reducing the fiber fineness of G. hirsutum L. The wild species highlighted in this study constitute an interesting genetic resource for the development of upland cotton varieties with improved fiber fineness. Key words: Cotton, fiber fineness, Gossypium spp, hybrid, plant breeding, tetraploid species, wild diploid species.

The wild cotton diploid species (2n = 2x = 26) are important sources of useful traits such as high fiber quality, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses etc., which can be introgressed into the cultivated tetraploid cotton Gossypium hirsutum L (2n = 4x = 52), for its genetic improvement. The African wild diploid species G. longicalyx Hutchinson and Lee could be used as donor of the desirable traits of fiber fineness and resistance to reniform nematode. However, hybridization of wild diploid species and cultivated tetraploid cotton encounters a sterility problem of the triploid (2n = 3x = 59), mainly due to ploidy. The restoration of the fertility can be done by creating an allohexaploid (2n = 6x = 78) through the doubling with colchicine of the sterile triploid chromosomes. With this method, a synthetic allohexaploid hybrid (G. hirsutum × G. longicalyx)2 has been obtained. This genotype was studied using phenotypic, cytological and molecular (AFLP) analyses in order to confirm its hybridity and its caryotype, and also to verify the expression of the desirable traits coming from G. longicalyx. The studied genotype showed a quite good level of pollen fertility (83%), and apart from larger seeds and some minor seedling anomalies, most of its morphological characteristics were intermediate between the two parental species. It had 78 chromosomes, proving its hexaploid status. Molecular analysis revealed 136 AFLP loci in this hexaploid, all from G. hirsutum and G. longicalyx, demonstrating its hybrid status. In addition, the hexaploid exhibited the useful traits of G. longicalyx with regard to its remarkable fiber fineness and its high resistance to the reniform nematode. This allohexaploid hybrid constitutes an interesting agronomic material, which can be used as a bridge for the transfer of useful agronomic traits from wild species to varieties of G. hirsutum.

This study was conducted to determine intake and growth performance of broiler chicks fed with Jatropha curcas kernel meal physico-chemically and biologically processed. The feed experiment lasted for 7 days with 20-day-old Ross 308 strain unsexed broiler chicks. Two dietary treatments were given each to ten animals, according to a complete randomized design. Kernels, manually obtained from J. curcas seed, were defatted, heated, and fermented with a strain of Aspergillus niger and oven-dried, in order to obtain the treated jatropha kernel meal. This latter was used to replace one third of a groundnut meal premix which was then incorporated in a commercial diet to warrant iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric characteristics of the diets. Data collected were analyzed according to ANOVA procedure. The results revealed that the animals that received the diet incorporating jatropha kernel meal had numerically higher live weight (156.1 vs. 152.7 g/animal) (P > 0.05) and average daily weight gain (12.3 vs. 11.7 g/day/animal) (P > 0.05) than the control ones, at the end of experiment. The average daily feed intake was the same for the two groups of animals (23.2 g/day/animal) (P > 0.05) with a similar feed conversion ratio (2.0 vs. 2.1 respectively for the jatropha group and the control group). The survival rate, at the end of the experiment, was 100% for the two groups of animals. Physico-chemically and biologically processed Jatropha curcas kernel could be an interesting by-product for poultry feeding.

Konan NO, Akaffou MA, Kouadio L, Akaffou DS, Mergeai G. 2020. Genetic diversity of exotic and local eggplants (Solanum spp.) cultivated in Côte d’Ivoire based on ISSR markers. Biodiversitas 21: 3651-3658. Eggplants are important vegetables in Côte d'Ivoire. Despite an increase in the cultivation of exotic genotypes and their progressive dominance over local cultivars, which could represent a threat of genetic erosion, there are not enough molecular data available on the genetic diversity of the eggplants currently cultivated in this country. This study is a contribution to the knowledge of the genetic diversity of the current eggplant cultivars grown in Côte d’Ivoire. It aimed to assess the genetic variation of nine exotic and local eggplants commonly cultivated in Côte d'Ivoire, using five inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. The results revealed for the exotic cultivars 42 ISSR loci of which 31 were polymorphic (73.81 %), and for local cultivars 51 loci of which 49 (96.08%) were polymorphic. The Nei’s genetic diversity and Shannon’s information index of local cultivars (He = 0.3333 and I = 0.4863) were higher than those of exotic cultivars (He = 0.2000 and I = 0.2971). The Gst value and the AMOVA analysis found more than 70% of the total genetic diversity within the groups. The Jaccard’s dissimilarity coefficients between the cultivars, ranged from 0.324 to 0.966 with an average of 0.741. The clustering of genotypes with the neighbor-joining unrooted tree and PCoA analysis differentiated three main clusters with exotic cultivars grouped in cluster I and local cultivars in cluster II and III. In view of these results, the local eggplants had higher genetic diversity and constitute an interesting germplasm which needs to be conserved for potential breeding programs.

Wild cotton species are an important source of desirable genes for genetic improvement of cultivated cottonGossypium hirsutumLinnaeus, 1763. For the success of such an improvement, chromosome pairings and recombinations in hybrids are fundamental. The wild African speciesG. longicalyxHutchinson & Lee, 1958 could be used as donor of the desirable trait of fiber fineness. Twelve BC1 plants obtained from the backcrossing of [(G. hirsutum×G. thurberiTodaro, 1877)2×G. longicalyx] (AhDhD1F1, 2n = 4x = 52) trispecies hybrid (HTL) byG. hirsutum(cv. C2) (AhAhDhDh, 2n = 4x = 52) were investigated for meiotic behaviour and plant fertility. Their chromosome associations varied as follows: (2.5 to 11.5) I + (17 to 22) II + (0.31 to 1.93) III + (0.09 to 1.93) IV + (0 to 0.07) V + (0 to 0.14) VI. Their pollen fertility ranged from 4.67 to 32.10 %. Only four BC1 plants produced a few seeds through self-pollination. The remaining BC1 were totally self-sterile and usually presented the highest number of univalents. All BC1 materials produced BC2 seeds (0.44 to 6.50 seeds per backcross) with the number of seeds negatively correlated with the number of univalents (R2= 0.45, P < 0.05). Most BC1 plants gave significantly finer fiber compared to the cultivatedG. hirsutum. SSR markers showed a segregation of wild alleles among the backcross derivatives and Genomicin situhybridization (GISH) revealed presence of entire chromosomes ofG. longicalyxas well as recombinant chromosomes in the backcross derivatives. The significance and details of these results are presented and the prospects of successfully exploiting these plant materials are discussed.

Weed management is a major challenge for smallholders’ adoption of conservation agriculture techniques. The phytological composition and weed biomass in five direct‐seeding cropping systems based on the millet–groundnut rotation, with permanent cover provided by Stylosanthes hamata (L.) Taub., were evaluated after 3 years in western Senegal. A transect was used to determine the phytological composition. The weed biomass was measured in five quadrats in the middle and at the end of the plant growth cycle. This study shows that S. hamata ground cover does not allow the effective control of weeds; high weed infestation was recorded in all direct‐seeding cropping systems (58–75% of the ground cover). A high diversity of weed species was observed in all treatments, dominated by Eragrostis ssp. and Dactyloctenium aegyptium Beauv. Cutting back and removing the aboveground biomass reduced the ground cover provided by S. hamata, lowered the weed species diversity and favored heliophilous species such as Eragrostis tremula but did not reduce weed infestation. Animal manure application did not, in the short term, affect the composition or structure of the weed species. However, it favored weed development and increased aboveground biomass. In the long term, this could affect weed seedbank and structure. Cutting back and removing the aboveground biomass of S. hamata resulted in lower weed diversity and higher crop yield. To achieve effective weed control, additional research on management techniques that would focus on the combination of cutting back vegetation and weeding along the crop seeding line will be needed.

The effects of drought on water relations, gas exchanges and epigenetic alterations were studied in two faba bean ( Vicia faba L.) genotypes with contrasting levels of drought tolerance. The drought-tolerant Bachar genotype was less affected by water deficit in comparison with the drought-sensitive F177 in terms of photosynthetic function and water status in plants as indicated by less reduction in net photosynthesis (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and relative water content (RWC). In this study, the methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) technique was used to profile the DNA methylation patterns of Bachar and F177 under drought and control conditions. Overall, the amount of methylation was higher in leaves than in roots and the contribution of fully methylated loci was always higher than that of hemimethylated loci. Under control and drought treatment, the total methylation level in leaf tissues was 37.43% and 30.62% in Bachar, 41.23% and 38.16% in F177, indicating a decrease of 6.81% and 3.07% in Bachar and F177 respectively, due to drought exposure. The results revealed that DNA methylation in root tissues was decreased by 3.63% (from 23.43% to 19.80%) in Bachar and increased by 0.66% (from 16.53% to 17.19%) in F177 under drought stress. Differentially displayed DNA fragments in MSAP profiles were cloned and sequenced. A sequence analysis identified six potentially drought stress-related differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Five of these have high homology to previously identified or putative proteins found in other plants, including lipoxygenase ( LOX ), calcium-dependent protein kinase ( CDPK ), ABC transporter family ( ABC ), glycosyl hydrolase ( GH ) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase ( PEPC ) and were chosen for further characterization. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed that VfLOX , VfCDPK , VfABC and VfGH varied under drought stress; the expression level of these studied genes was higher in Bachar than in F177. This could suggest their possible role in faba bean drought stress tolerance. Overall, the genome-wide epigenetic changes are probably an important regulatory mechanism for faba bean response to drought and as well to other environmental stresses.

Wild cotton species are an important source of desirable genes for genetic improvement of cultivated cotton Gossypium hirsutum Linnaeus, 1763. For the success of such an improvement, chromosome pairings and recombinations in hybrids are fundamental. The wild African species G. longicalyx Hutchinson & Lee, 1958 could be used as donor of the desirable trait of fiber fineness. Twelve BC1 plants obtained from the backcrossing of [(G. hirsutum × G. thurberi Todaro, 1877)2 × G. longicalyx] (AhDhD1F1, 2n = 4x = 52) trispecies hybrid (HTL) by G. hirsutum (cv. C2) (AhAhDhDh, 2n = 4x = 52) were investigated for meiotic behaviour and plant fertility. Their chromosome associations varied as follows: (2.5 to 11.5) I + (17 to 22) II + (0.31 to 1.93) III + (0.09 to 1.93) IV + (0 to 0.07) V + (0 to 0.14) VI. Their pollen fertility ranged from 4.67 to 32.10 %. Only four BC1 plants produced a few seeds through self-pollination. The remaining BC1 were totally self-sterile and usually presented the highest number of univalents. All BC1 materials produced BC2 seeds (0.44 to 6.50 seeds per backcross) with the number of seeds negatively correlated with the number of univalents (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.05). Most BC1 plants gave significantly finer fiber compared to the cultivated G. hirsutum. SSR markers showed a segregation of wild alleles among the backcross derivatives and Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) revealed presence of entire chromosomes of G. longicalyx as well as recombinant chromosomes in the backcross derivatives. The significance and details of these results are presented and the prospects of successfully exploiting these plant materials are discussed.

Background and objective Prior small-scale clinical trials showed that Artemisia annua and Artemisia afra infusions, decoctions, capsules, or tablets were low cost, easy to use, and efficient in curing malaria infections. In a larger-scale trial in Kalima district, Democratic Republic of Congo, we aimed to show A. annua and/or A. afra infusions were superior or at least equivalent to artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) against malaria. Methods A double blind, randomized clinical trial with 957 malaria-infected patients had two treatment arms: 472 patients for ASAQ and 471 for Artemisia (248 A. annua, 223 A. afra) remained at end of the trial. ASAQ-treated patients were treated per manufacturer posology, and Artemisia-treated patients received 1 l/d of dry leaf/twig infusions for 7 d; both arms had 28 d follow-up. Parasitemia and gametocytes were measured microscopically with results statistically compared among arms for age and gender. Results Artemisinin content of A. afra was negligible, but therapeutic responses of patients were similar to A. annua-treated patients; trophozoites cleared after 24 h, but took up to 14 d to clear in ASAQ-treated patients. D28 cure rates defined as absence of parasitemia were for pediatrics 82, 91, and 50% for A. afra, A. annua and ASAQ; while for adults cure rates were 91, 100, and 30%, respectively. Fever clearance took 48 h for ASAQ, but 24 h for Artemisia. From D14-28 no Artemisia-treated patients had microscopically detectable gametocytes, while 10 ASAQ-treated patients remained gametocyte carriers at D28. More females than males were gametocyte carriers in the ASAQ arm but were unaffected in the Artemisia arms. Hemoglobin remained constant at 11 g/dl for A. afra after D1, while for A. annua and ASAQ it decreased to 9-9.5 g/dl. Only 5.0% of Artemisia-treated patients reported adverse effects, vs. 42.8% for ASAQ. Conclusion A. annua and A. afra infusions are polytherapies with better outcomes than ASAQ against malaria. In contrast to ASAQ, both Artemisias appeared to break the cycle of malaria by eliminating gametocytes. This study merits further investigation for possible inclusion of Artemisia tea infusions as an alternative for fighting and eradicating malaria.

Background and objective Schistosomiasis (bilharzia), a serious neglected tropical disease affecting millions, has few cost-effective treatments, so two Artemisia wormwood species, A. annua and A. afra, were compared with the current standard praziquantel (PZQ) treatment in an 800 patient clinical trial, August-November of 2015. Methods The double blind, randomized, superiority clinical trial had three treatment arms: 400 for PZQ, 200 for A. annua , and 200 for A. afra. PZQ-treated patients followed manufacturer posology. Artemisia -treated patients received 1 l/d of dry leaf/twig tea infusions divided into 3 aliquots daily, for 7 days with 28-day follow-up. Results Of 800 enrolled patients having an average of >700 Schistosoma mansoni eggs per fecal sample, 780 completed the trial. Within 14 days of treatment, all Artemisia -treated patients had no detectable eggs in fecal smears, a result sustained 28 days post treatment. Eggs in fecal smears of PZQ-treated patients were undetectable after D21. More males than females who entered the trial had melena, but both genders responded equally well to treatment; by D28 melena disappeared in all patients. In all arms, eosinophil levels declined by about 27% from D0 to D28. From D0 to D28 hemoglobin increases were greater in PZQ and A. afra -treated patients than in A. annua -treated patients. Hematocrit increases were greater from D0 to D28 for patients treated with either PZQ or A. annua compared to those treated with A. afra . Gender comparison showed that A. afra –treated males had significantly greater hemoglobin and hematocrit increases by D28 than either PZQ or A. annua –treated males. In contrast, PZQ and A. afra -treated females had greater hemoglobin and hematocrit increases than A. annua -treated females. Both adults and pediatric patients treated with A. annua responded better compared to PZQ treatment. Conclusion Both A. annua and A. afra provided faster effective treatment of schistosomiasis and should be considered for implementation on a global scale.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) ranks fourth in food legume crop production in the world. However, drought is a potential major constraint to faba bean production and improved faba bean cultivars and development of drought-resistant varieties play a key role in enhancing faba bean crop production. In this study, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique was used to study differential expression in response to water stress and to identify genes involved in molecular mechanism of drought tolerance. A forward subtractive cDNA library induced by water deficit conditions was constructed used Hara faba bean cultivar grown in pots and treated with either well-watered (WW) or water-stressed (WS). A total of 28 clones were identified as drought stress induced. After sequencing, ten unique expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained by clustering and blast analysis which showed homology to known drought responsive genes including heat shock protein (HSP), late embryogenic abundant (LEA), zinc finger protein transcription factors (ZFP), lipid transfer protein (LTP), chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (ChlBP), thioredoxin h (Trx h), and ATP synthase as well as some functionally unknown transcripts. Their expression was characterized in Leaf, root, flower, cotyledon, and stem tissue. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that eight genes were consistently up-regulated in Hara compared to Giza3 cultivar, known as drought-tolerant and sensitive respectively under water deficit treatment. The expression of six genes was differentially expressed in different stages of water stress faba bean plant. Drought responsive genes showed changed expression patterns, indicating that they may play important roles in faba bean water stress response. Furthermore, these results indicate that drought-induced genes are related to metabolic pathways and genetic regulation of stress and development and can serve as a foundation for future studies to elucidate drought stress mechanisms of faba bean.

Les perspectives de rentabilite des trois principaux modes de culture extensive de Jatropha curcas L. dans la Communaute rurale de Dialacoto ont ete etudiees sur la base d’observations realisees de 2008 a 2012 chez 24 agriculteurs. En l’absence d’application d’intrants, le rendement en graines seches obtenu en culture pure dans les plantations paysannes les mieux entretenues âgees de quatre ou cinq ans etait inferieur a 200 kg/ha. Dans ces conditions, il est tres peu probable que le rendement atteint en culture pure en phase de pleine production depasse 800 kg/ha. Le rendement moyen par metre de haie vive âgee de plus de 15 ans etait de 0,9 kg/m. En considerant le prix d’achat des graines de jatropha pratique au Senegal en 2012 (65 F CFA/kg – 0,10 euro/kg), compte tenu du faible rendement en graines et de la lenteur d’entree en pleine production du materiel vegetal disponible, la culture du jatropha en plein champ, seul ou en association, est nettement moins rentable que le principal systeme de culture de rente pratique dans la region (rotation arachide/mil/sorgho/cotonnier avec intrants et sans jachere). Toute amelioration des performances economiques de la production de graines de jatropha passe par la selection de varietes a la fois precoces, rustiques et productives. L’installation de haies vives est pour l’instant le seul mode de culture du jatropha recommandable aux paysans en conditions de culture extensive. Outre la fourniture d’un revenu complementaire lie a la recolte des graines, les haies vives apportent differents benefices non monetaires apprecies par les agriculteurs : delimitation des parcelles, protection du sol contre l’erosion hydrique et eolienne, amelioration du bilan hydrique des sols et effet brise-vent favorables au developpement des plantes cultivees, protection des cultures contre les animaux divagants, constitution d’enclos pour garder le betail.

Les performances de poulets de chair recevant un aliment dans lequel le tourteau d’arachide a été totalement substitué par la fève de coton glandless (FCG) ont été comparées à celles d’animaux recevant un aliment témoin expérimental (Tém_E), un aliment de commerce (Tém_C) et une ration de formulation très simple composée uniquement de maïs, de FCG, et de concentré minéral et vitaminé. Dès le démarrage, les animaux Tém_C et FCG ont présenté les meilleures croissances. Après 43 jours d’élevage, les différences de poids vifs ont été très importantes entre les lots, essentiellement suite aux différences de consommation alimentaire, de telle sorte que les meilleures vitesses de croissance n’ont pas été nécessairement liées à de meilleurs indices de consommation. De faibles performances pondérales, de faibles ingestions et des mortalités importantes ont été observées avec la ration simplifiée.

The efficiency of using monosomic alien addition lines (MAALs) to introgress agronomical traits of interest carried by wild diploid Gossypium species into the main cultivated cotton species G. hirsutum depends on the opportunities of confronting the alien chromosome with the recipient background genome at each generation and on the occurrence of translocations and homoeologous recombinations. The selfed-progeny of five MAALs of G. australe in G. hirsutum was screened with SSR markers to determine the transmission frequency of the alien chromosome and monitor its integrity. Three MAALs revealed a transmission frequency significantly lower than the expected ratio and one MAAL presented an exclusive transmission of the additional chromosome. In these four MAAL the alien chromosome was transmitted almost unaltered. With the fifth MAAL the alien chromosome was normally transmitted but was altered in half of the plants carrying it. In one MAAL, normally carrying brown fiber, the emergence of some plants carrying white and brown fiber revealed the somatic elimination of the additional chromosome. The loss of this chromosome seems to be triggered by its deletion.

Gossypium australe F. Muell (2n = 2x = 26) is a wild perennial species possessing agronomic useful traits that would be interesting to introgress into G. hirsutum L. (2n = 4x = 52), the main cultivated cotton species. To isolate monosomic alien addition lines (MAALs) of G. australe in G. hirsutum, the [2(G. hirsutum · G. australe) · G. hirsutum] pentaploid (2n = 5x = 65) was backcrossed as male parent to G. hirsutum. Analysis of 42 BC1 plants and seven alien addition lines, already available, with 150 SSR markers developed from G. hirsutum revealed a cross-species amplification rate of 100% and a polymorphism rate of 56%. Eighty polymorphic SSR markers generated 87 G. australe-specific loci that have been assigned by a hierarchical cluster analysis to 13 linkage groups corresponding to the 13 chromosomes of G. australe. Analysis by SSR markers and genomic in situ hybridization of the self-progeny of disomic alien addition lines, backcross progeny of the pentaploid, allowed the isolation of five new MAALs. (Resume d'auteur)

In order to select genotypes of Gossypium hirsutum genetically balanced and expressing the low-gossypol seed & high-gossypol plant trait introgressed from the Australian wild diploid species G. sturtianum, the [(G. hirsutum × G. raimondii)² × G. sturtianum] triple hybrid was backcrossed to G. hirsutum and autopollinated to produce backcross and selfed progenies. Two hundred and six mapped SSR markers of G. hirsutum were used to monitor the introgression of SSR alleles specific to G. sturtianum and G. raimondii in the selected progenies. A high level of heterozygosity, varying from 25 to 100%, was observed for all G. sturtianum-specific SSR markers conserved in the most advanced progenies. These results indicate the existence of segregation distortion factors that are associated with the genes controlling the researched trait. This study represents a starting point to map the genes involved in the expression of the trait and better understand its genetic determinism.

The expression of the “glanded-plant and glandless-seed” trait was assessed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis methods in different Gossypium hybrids obtained by crossing Australian diploid cottons and various diploid and tetraploid species. Significant variation in the gossypol content in the seed was observed among the analyzed genotypes. HPLC data demonstrated that the gossypol synthesis repression mechanism in the Australian diploid species belonging to C and G genomes was dominant but did not confirm its preferential functioning against A genome species bearing GL2 locus. About 10% of the produced seeds had total gossypol content lower than the limit imposed by the World Health Organisation (600 ppm) for the use of cotton flour in food and feed. HPLC analysis of the terpenoids aldehyde (TA) contents in the aerial parts of the hybrids showed important qualitative and quantitative variability. This result could indicate a certain separation between pigment gland morphogenesis and terpenoid synthesis mechanisms in cotton.

Twelve Gossypium genotypes (species, fertile interspecific allotetraploid and allohexaploid hybrids, backcross progeny of interspecific hybrids) characterized by drastic differences in their seed gossypol content were used to design a visual quantification method of the gossypol concentration in cotton seeds. After developing an high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method that allowed measurement of gossypol content in single seed samples, the results of 123 HPLC analyses carried out seed-by-seed were compared with different parameters characterizing the level of gossypol glands in the seed. A significant correlation was found between the gossypol content %G determined on single seeds by HPLC and the number N of gossypol glands per seed section area (S, expressed in mm 2 ), leading to the establishment of the following model: %G = b i (NIS), where the regression coefficient b i depends on the cotton genotype considered. The estimation of %G directly from NIS is a rapid and accurate method which can be used in breeding programs to screen the progeny of cotton genotypes showing a high segregation for their seed gossypol content.

A survey of allozyme variation in Kersting's groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum(Harms) Marechal and Baudet) was undertaken by examining 19 enzymes systems encoding 32 putative loci in 18 domesticated accessions and two wild accessions. No variation was found within and among domesticated accessions as well as within and between both wild accessions. How- ever, very high genetic distance between wild and domesticated accessions suggests that they should be assigned to two different species. 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolates of Fusarium udum from pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) plants with wilt symptoms were collected from various districts in Kenya and were characterized using cultural characteristics, aggressiveness and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). The 56 isolates of F. udum showed a high level of variability in aerial mycelia growth, pigmentation and radial mycelia growth (colony diameter) on potato dextrose agar. The aggressiveness of 17 isolates of F. udum on seven pigeonpea varieties varied and five aggressive groups were observed in the present study. There were no relationships among cultural characteristics and aggressiveness. AFLP analysis of the 56 isolates was tested for genetic variability using seven primer combinations. A total of 326 fragments was generated of which 121 were polymorphic. Ten AFLP groups were identified among the Kenyan isolates and, although they were not genetically distinct, six AFLP subgroups were genetically distinct. AFLP had no relationship with cultural characteristics, aggressiveness and geographical origin of the isolates. This is the first report on the study of genetic variability of F. udum using DNA analysis.

En vue d’évaluer les performances de production de Jatropha curcas L. en conditions de sols pauvres, un essai a été réalisé entre juillet 2009 et décembre 2012 sur le plateau des Batéké dans les sites de Mbankana et de Mongata à proximité de Kinshasa. Les résultats obtenus montrent des différences significatives (p

Jatropha curcas has been introduced into Niger since 2004 by International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). This plant is cultivated for its oil, which can be used as a Biofuel. Through direct and indirect insect collection methods, an inventory of the insect associated with J. curcas has been conducted in Western Niger during two rainy seasons (from June to October) in 2010 and 2011. We have identified insects belonging to the following families: Acrididae ( Oedaleus senegalensis Krauss , Oedaleus nigeriensis Uvarov, Heteracris leani Uvarov, Catantops stramineus Walker, Parga cyanoptera Uvarov, and Acanthacris ruficornis citrina Audinet-Serville), Pyrgomorphidae ( Poekilocerus bufonius hieroglyphicus Klug), Cetoniidae ( Pachnoda interrupta Olivier, Pachnoda marginata aurantia Herbst, Pachnoda sinuata Heinrich and McClain, and Rhabdotis sobrina Gory and Percheron), Meloidae ( Decapotoma lunata Pallas), Pentatomidae ( Agonoscelis versicoloratus Dallas, Nezara viridula Linn, and Antestia sp. Kirkaldy), Coreidae ( Leptoglossus membranaceus Fabricius and Cletus trigonus Thunberg), and Scutelleridae ( Calidea panaethiopica Kirkaldy). Origin and potential impact on J. curcas of all these insect species are presented and discussed. The lower insect’s diversity indexes are observed in 2010 and 2011 for Niamey, Saga, and Gaya because of semi-arid character of the Sahelian area.

Introduction First results on the development of an in vitro pod culture technique for young pods of P. vulgaris (PV) are reported by Geerts et al (2000). Different culture techniques for 2-dlay old Phaseolus pods were described using a modified Phillips ^i al (1982) medium for maturation. The authors showed that the application of high and variable osmolality conditions, similar to those observed in vivo, during pod culture and before extracting the embryos, gave the best results in terms of ovule and embryo development (Geerts et a/. 1999). However, the plantlet survival remained very low and no regeneration was described. In this paper, we report the method used to obtain the first regeneration of plantlets from 2 days-old Phaseolus embryos using an in vitro pod culture technique. Material and methods A P. vulgaris genotype (NI 637) was grown in a growth chamber under the following controlled conditions: day/night temperature of 24/20°C, light intensity of 580 |imol,m*^s"^ and a day length of 11 h 30 min. Pod culture technique was adapted fi-om Geerts et al (2000). Basal medium contains Phillips et al. (1982) mineral salts, 80 g.F^ sucrose, 1 mg.F^ thiamin HCl, 5 mg.F^ nicotinic acid, 0.5 mg.r' pyridoxme, lOOmg.r' myoinositol, 1,000 mg.I'^ L-glutamine, 1,000 mg.F^ casein hydrolysate, 0.1 jLiM NAA, 10 \xM adenine and 1.0 |iM Benzylaminopurine. Seven pod culture methods were compared using three different osmoticum agents (Table I): four solid media (SI, S2, S3 and S4) and three liquid media (LI, L2 and L3). For each of the solid cultures, a sequence of three media with a decreasing osmotic pressure were used. Pods were cultured on 580 mosm of osmolality during I day, transferred to 450 mosm for 2 days more, and lastly transferred for 4 days more to basal medium (350 mosm). For S4 technique, pods were directly transferred to basal medium for 1 week. Table L Type and quantity of osmoticum added to the basal medium. Techniques Osmoticum added Osmolalities of media 580 mosm ^*^ 450 mosm 350 mosm SV''' LI Sucrose 63 g.r^ 22 g.r' S2 L2 Mannitol 36 g.r' 16 g.r ^ S3 L3 Polyethylene glycol 8000 128 g.r' 55 g.r' _ S4 ^*^ at this osmolality, vitamins, amino acids and growth regulators of basal medium are modified : 0.25 mg.f' thiamin HGl, 1.25 mg.T^ nicotinic acid, 0.125 mg.r' pyridoxine, 25 mg.r' myoinositol, 250 mg.r' Lglutamine, 250 mg.r' casein hydrolysate, 0.095 ^M abscisic acid, 5.5 |iM Tryptophan and 0.1 ^M NAA. ^**^ 7 g.r'Select Agar-Gihco BRL.

Recent work has demonstrated that allopolyploid speciation in plants may be associated with non-Mendelian genomic changes in the early generations following polyploid synthesis. To address the question of whether rapid genomic changes also occur in allopolyploid cotton (Gossypium) species, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was performed to evaluate nine sets of newly synthesized allotetraploid and allohexaploid plants, their parents, and the selfed progeny from colchicine-doubled synthetics. Using both methylation-sensitive and methylation- insensitive enzymes, the extent of fragment additivity in newly combined genomes was ascertained for a total of ap- proximately 22 000 genomic loci. Fragment additivity was observed in nearly all cases, with the few exceptions most likely reflecting parental heterozygosity or experimental error. In addition, genomic Southern analysis on six sets of synthetic allopolyploids probed with five retrotransposons also revealed complete additivity. Because no alterations were observed using methylation-sensitive isoschizomers, epigenetic changes following polyploid synthesis were also mini - mal. These indications of genomic additivity and epigenetic stasis during allopolyploid formation provide a contrast to recent evidence from several model plant allopolyploids, most notably wheat and Brassica, where rapid and unex- plained genomic changes have been reported. In addition, the data contrast with evidence from repetitive DNAs in Gossypium, some of which are subject to non-Mendelian molecular evolutionary phenomena in extant polyploids. These contrasts indicate polyploid speciation in plants is accompanied by a diverse array of molecular evolutionary phenomena, which will vary among both genomic constituents and taxa. Resume : De recents travaux ont demontre que la speciation via l'allopolyploidisation chez les plantes s'accompagne parfois de changements genomiques non-mendeliens au cours des premieres generations. Afin de determiner si des changements genomiques rapides surviennent chez des especes allopolyploides du cotonnier (Gossypium), une analyse AFLP (polymorphisme de longueur des fragments amplifies) a ete faite pour evaluer neuf jeux d'hybrides synthetiques allotetraploides ou allohexaploides, leurs parents et la progeniture obtenue par autofecondation suite au doublement chromosomique induit par la colchicine. A l'aide d'enzymes sensibles ou insensibles a la methylation, le degre d'additivite des fragments a ete evalue chez les genomes nouvellement combines pour environ 22 000 locus genomi- ques. L'additivite des fragments a ete observee dans presque tous les cas et les quelques rares exceptions refletaient vraisemblablement une heterozygotie parentale ou une erreur experimentale. De plus, des analyses Southern sur six jeux d'allopolyploides examines a l'aide de sondes constituees de retrotransposons ont egalement revele une complete additivite. Comme aucune alteration n'a ete observee a l'aide des isoschizomeres sensibles a la methylation, les chan - gements epigenetiques decoulant de la synthese des polyploides sont egalement peu nombreux. Ces evidences d'additivite genomique et de stabilite epigenetique lors de l'allopolyploidisation contrastent avec les resultats recents chez plusieurs especes modeles vegetales, notamment le ble et Brassica. Chez ces dernieres, des changements rapides et inexpliques ont ete rapportes. De plus, les donnees presentees contrastent avec celles obtenues avec des ADN repetes chez le Gossypium dont certains sont sujets a des phenomenes d'evolution moleculaire non-mendelienne chez les poly- ploides existants. Ces differences montrent que la speciation via allopolyploidisation chez les plantes s'accompagne de divers phenomenes evolutifs moleculaires, lesquels peuvent varier parmi les composantes genomiques et les taxons. Mots cles : polyploidie, evolution genomique, cotonnier, Gossypium, AFLP. (Traduit par la Redaction) Liu et al. 330

A research program to develop an in vitro culture technique adapted to very immature Phaseolus zygotic embryos indicated that osmolality within young pods in vivo ranged from 580 to 350 mosm during the first 10 d after pollination. Different culture techniques for 2-d-old Phaseolus pods are described using a modified Phillips medium for maturation. The application of high and variable osmolality conditions, similar to what is observed in vivo, during pod culture (1 wk) and before extracting the embryos, gave the best results in terms of ovule and embryo development. To solve contamination problems affecting pod development during these investigations, a sterilizing technique was tested combining various concentrations of polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (Tween 20) and a broad-spectrum industrial biocide, Plant Preservative Mixture (PPM). The PPM sterilizing method totally eliminated pod contamination and did not affect ovule growth, but significantly reduced the embryo germination rate.

This work aims at breeding upland cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L., 2(AD)1 genome] with a reduced level of gossypol in the seeds for optimal food and feed uses, and a high gossypol level in the remaining organs for resistance to pests. Two tri-species Gossypium hybrids, (G. thurberi–G. sturtianum–G. hirsutum and G. hirsutum–G. raimondii–G. sturtianum) including G. sturtianum (2C1) as a donor, G. thurberi (2D1) and G. raimondii (2D5) as a bridge species, were created. Recurrent selection initiated with these tri-species hybrids produced backcross (BC) progenies expressing the ”low-gossypol seed and high-gossypol plant” trait at different levels. We used AFLP markers to assess the genetic similarity among the germplasm and RFLP probes to tag the introgression of specific chomosome segments from the parental species. Five pairs of AFLP primers generated 477 fragments, among which 417 (87.4%) were polymorphic. The genetic similarity between the upland cotton and the wild species ranged from 29.5 to 43.2%, while similarity reached 80% between upland cotton and BC3 plants. Introgression of species-specific AFLPs was evident from all the parental species and confirmed the hybrid origin of the analyzed progenies. Southern-blot analysis based on 49 RFLP probes allowed us to trace the introgression of parental DNA segments in the tri-species hybrids and in three generations of backcross. Introgression was evident from 11, 8 and 7 linkage groups of G. sturtianum, G. raimondii and G. thurberi respectively. The types of introgression revealed by RFLP probes are discussed, and breeding schemes to enhance recombination are proposed. The ability to trace DNA segments of known chromosomal locations from the donor G. sturtianum through segregating generations is a starting point to map the ”low-gossypol seed and high-gossypol plant” traits.

The objective of this work is to develop an upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. [2n = 4x =52, 2(AD)h], having a reduced level of gossypol in the seeds for food and feed uses, and a high level of gossypol in the remaining organs to limit pest incidence. Using G. sturtianum Willis (2n = 2x = 26, 2C1) as donor and G. thurberi Torado (2n = 2x = 26, 2D1) or G. raimondii Ulbrich (2n = 2x = 26, 2D5) as bridge species, two trispecies hybrids G. thurberi– G. sturtianum– G. hirsutum and G. hirsutum– G. raimondii– G. sturtianum were synthesized. Both trispecies hybrids were male sterile. Recurrent backcrossing to G. hirsutum as pollinator and selfing of the second backcross (BC) progenies resulted in seeds which were rescued by in vitro culture. In total, 1208 flowers of the trispecies hybrids and their BC progenies yielded 192 seed embryos from which 62 plants were obtained. Cytogenetic analyses indicated a relatively high frequency of chromosome pairing and chiasmata. The gland levels in backcross seeds ranged from glandless seeds to normally glanded seeds. All vegetative parts of those hybrids were glanded, but a wide range of variability for gland density was observed on leaf, stem, bract and calyx. Plants derived from seeds having a reduced level of gossypol constitute very interesting germplasm to develop a cultivated glanded cotton with low-gossypol seeds.

Le nématode réniforme Rotylenchulus reniformis Linford et Oliveira est en passe de devenir le nématode le plus redoutable de la culture cotonnière en Amérique du Nord et du Sud. Dans le but d'introgresser chez la principale espèce de cotonnier cultivé Gossypium hirsutum L. la résistance à ce parasite à partir de l'espèce diploïde sauvage G. longicalyx, l'hybride trispécifique G. hirsutum x G. thurberi x G. longicalyx a été créé selon la méthode pseudophylétique d'introgression. La triple hybridité du matériel produit a été mise en évidence au moyen de marqueurs microsatellites et confirmée par le comptage des chromosomes. Trois plantes hybrides évaluées en conditions d'inoculation contrôlée ont révélé un niveau de résistance à R. reniformis élevé et équivalent à celui de l'espèce diploïde donneuse.

In order to introgress the ‘glandless-seed and glanded-plant’ trait from Gossypium sturtianum Willis (2n= 2x= 26, C1 genome) into the cultivated upland cotton Gossypium hirsutum L. (2n= Ax= 52 (AD), genome), two trispecific hybrids have been created using either Gossypium thurberi Torado (2n= 2x= 26, D1 genome) or Gossypium raimondii Ulbrich (2n= 2x= 26, D5 genome) as bridge species. The cross of both trispecific hybrids by G. hirsutum produced the first backcross progenies (BCl). Cytogenetic analysis showed that the trispecific hybrids had 52 chromosomes, their chromosome configurations at metaphase I (Ml) being 15.071 + 15.3411 + 0.93III + 0.69IV + 0.26VI in G. thurberi×G. sturtianum×G. hirsutum (TSH) and 14.421 + 17.0311 + 0.82III + 0.15IV + 0.07VI in G. hirsutum × G. raimondii ×. G. sturtianum (HRS), respectively. Among six BCl plants analysed, the only plant expressing the ‘glandless-seed and glanded-plant’ trait had 52 chromosomes and a meiotic configuration of 5.261 + 20.61II + 0.69III + 0.77IV at MI. Pollen fertility was 2.90% in TSH, 8.97% in HRS, and ranged from 0% to 40.28% in the BCl progenies. The introgressed BCl plant is perennial in growth habit. It can be used in breeding programmes aiming at the introgression of the ‘glandless-seed and glanded-plant’ trait into a cultivar of upland cotton.

Entire plants were regenerated from nodes explants of Jatropha curcas L. following a procedure of bud aggregate induction on MS (Murashige and Skoog) medium supplemented with 25 mg.l

To improve cotton fiber fineness, the (Gossypium hirsutum L. × Gossypium longicalyx Hutch. & Lee)² allohexaploid and the [(Gossypium hirsutum L. × Gossypium thurberi Tod.)² × G. longicalyx] allotetraploid were backcrossed to G. hirsutum to produce introgressed genetic stocks. The ribbon width (RW) of 600 swelled fibers produced by the hybrids, their parents, and their backcross progeny were analyzed for each compared genotype using an optical microscope. The RWs varied between 6.41±2.15 µm for G. longicalyx to 17.45±2.98 µm for the G. hirsutum parent cultivar C2. Fibers produced by the trispecific hybrids and their progeny were finer than the bispecific hybrid material. For the introgressed stocks, the lowest RWs were observed for the trispecific hybrid (10.79±2.14 µm) and certain backcross progenies (between 11.98±1.27 µm to 12.71±1.61 µm). The allohexaploid RW was 13.58±1.41 µm. One of its tetraploid progeny produced approximately the same value (13.94±2.48 µm). These results show that G. longicalyx is a potential genetic stock for cotton fiber fineness improvement. The genetic stocks produced are valuable materials for improve the fineness of cotton fiber.

Jatropha curcas est un arbuste a usages multiples tres connu des populations africaines. Il est cultive comme une plante medicinale dans plusieurs pays tropicaux et subtropicaux. Ses graines contiennent de l’huile qui peut etre transformee en biocarburant. Les caracteristiques agromorphologiques de huit accessions nouvellement introduites au Benin et un ecotype local ont ete etudiees a partir de douze caracteres qualitatifs et quantitatifs. Une analyse de la variance a ete realisee en vue de ressortir les differences entre accessions. Les resultats obtenus montrent que la provenance Equateur (Salinas) a la hauteur la plus elevee, le diametre au collet le plus grand et les feuilles les plus developpees. Par contre, la provenance Senegal a le nombre de ramifications le plus eleve, les feuilles les plus reduites et la production en fruits la plus importante, compte tenu du fait que les ramifications fructifient au fur et a mesure de leur apparition. Il existe une difference tres hautement significative (seuil 0,1%) en ce qui concerne le diametre au collet, la largeur et la longueur des feuilles. Les caracteres agromorphologiques evalues ont permis d’identifier parmi les provenances cultivees, les ecotypes pouvant rentrer dans un programme d’amelioration et de selection varietale en vue de mettre a la disposition des producteurs de nouveaux cultivars plus performants et plus precoces. Keywords : Jatropha curcas, ecotypes, caracteres agromorphologiques, Benin

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is the leading natural fiber crop in the world. The genus Gossypium comprises a broad genetic base that has been and continues to be actively studied by cotton genetists and breeders. Cytogenetic tools play an important role in cotton genome research and cotton breeding. Based essentially on the observation of chromosome morphologies and the analysis of chromosome pairing, classical cytogenetics has contributed greatly to understanding cotton history, taxonomy and phylogeny, and has been a great help in cotton breeding programs designed to transfer desired genes from alien species into cultivated varieties. With the advent of molecular cytogenetics in the 1980s, the field of cytogenetics has been revolutionized. Beside an increase in the speed, sensitivity and specificity of conventional cytogenetic techniques, molecular cytogenetics offers opportunities to perform a variety of tasks not achievable by classical methods. These tasks include analysis of the distribution of repeated sequences along the genome, assignment of repetitive and single copy DNA sequences to positions on chromosomes, determination of the relationship between specific chromosomes and linkage groups, determination of the relationships between physical and genetic distances, differentiation of the genomes involved in hybrids, detection of alien DNA in introgressed lines, and others. We summarize the achievements of classical and molecular cytogenetic investigations in Gossypium and underline the relevance of bridging these approaches in Gossypium genetic studies and exploitation.

Genetic barriers often prevent exploiting diploid cotton germplasm for the improvement of tetraploid cotton. The objective of this study was to investigate mating schemes to achieve introgression of Gossypium sturtianum J.H. Willis and G. australe F. Muell diploid cottons into tetraploid G. hirsutum L. Gossypium hirsutum x G. sturtianum and G. hirsutum x G. australe hexaploids were backcrossed to G. hirsutum to produce BC1 pentaploids and BC2 and BC1S1 euploid and aneuploid plants. The use of G. hirsutum x G. australe pentaploids as male parent in backcrosses with G. hirsutum allowed the production of an important progeny of BC2 self fertile plants that were euploid or carried one chromosome of G. australe in addition to the 52 chromosomes of G. hirsutum. The only two BC2 fertile plants issued from G. hirsutum x G. sturtianum hybrids were monosomic addition materials. Both of them were obtained with the pentaploid as female parent in the backcross to cv. Stam F. These results confirm that cotton male gametes are more limited than female gametes in the number of supernumerary chromosomes they can carry. This provides a means of developing alien monosomic addition lines in the G. hirsutum background from all the diploid species of Gossypium whose chromosomes do not carry genes preventing their individual male transfer. The analysis of the monosomic addition plants produced from the G. hirsutum x G. australe hexaploid with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers allowed us to distinguish seven lines carrying different single chromosomes of G. australe. These lines constitute valuable materials with which to carry out fundamental and applied genetic investigations. (Resume d'auteur)

An efficient procedure has been developed for DNA extraction from cotton by modifying the original CTAB method. The major improvement concerns the use of activated charcoal to bind resinous and coloured compounds which copurify with the DNA. The efficiency of amplification by RAPD was used as a criterion to evaluate the action of activated charcoal. Twenty-five random decamers from Operon Technologies were used to compare DNA samples extracted in the presence or absence of activated charcoal. The results in terms of amplification suggest that the use of activated charcoal in DNA extraction enhances RAPD amplification. This technique was initially developed for cotton but it has been applied successfully to other recalcitrant plants such as coffee, rubber tree, cassava and banana.